Jazz Festival | A lesson in rap and charisma

Freddie Gibbs’ smile and many diamonds lit up the Place des Festivals on this beautiful Sunday evening. Supported by the group El Michels Affair, the MC offered a performance that corresponds to the very definition of master of ceremonies.

Visibly happy to be on stage, despite a “complicated” experience going through customs, the rapper from Gary, Indiana, often addressed the thousands of people gathered, repeatedly expressing his gratitude for the warm welcome from the audience.

We can guess that a good proportion of those gathered discovered the American during his appearance at the Montreal International Jazz Festival. A highly respected figure in rap underground, Freddie Gibbs does not have any mega-successes to his credit or collaborations with artists associated with the top of the charts. However, he has loyal fans and some albums considered among the best of the genre. The most unanimous is Piñatawhich this year celebrates its 10th anniversary^e birthday. Almost the entire show of almost an hour and a half was devoted to the work orchestrated by the brilliant Madlib.

As he did on his Wu-Tang Clan tribute albums, El Michels Affair honored the compositions of the Californian producer. Without straying too far from the source material, the group led by Leon Michels allowed itself some flights of fancy that are entirely appropriate for a show format.

Fans familiar with the album were not destabilized since the first five songs offered respected the order of the disc. Although Gangsta Gibbs’ songs very rarely have catchy choruses, the crowd listened with interest to his authentic stories with raw and colorful language.

It must be said that his machine-gun-like delivery commands attention. This was especially true during his interpretation of Shitsvilleone of the most heartfelt pieces in his repertoire.

Gibbs then performed God Is Perfecttaken fromAlfredo, produced by another musical genius, The Alchemist. This album was also cited among the best at the 2021 Grammys. The program Piñata quickly resumed its course with Robes et Knicks. Before interpreting the following, Thuggin’Gibbs said Madlib gave him the beats which would constitute Piñata on a CD!

In 2020, Freddie Gibbs and El Michels Affair offered The Diamond Mine Sessionswhich includes three reinterpretations of pieces taken from BandanaGibbs and Madlib’s second collaborative album. They delivered the nostalgic Gat Damn to festival-goers. Crime Paysalso on Bandanacame to close the show.

The “Freddie, Freddie, Freddie” from the crowd, however, convinced him to come back for Scottie Beam et Something to Rap Aboutboth ofAlfredoThen Gang Signswhich is found on the most recent $oul $old $eparately. Wanting to end the evening in style, the rapper asked for the audience’s participation for the poetic passage “fuck 12, suck a dick”. It was finally at the third cover that he showed himself satisfied and left with the same smile as when he entered the stage.